New car market Aftersales conference News Showroom AM contacts Used car market News digest Recruitment These finding do show that if you have the capital to hold stock over the winter months you will perhaps make a good return. My view would be to keep your risk to a minimum, especially with how we have all seen the market pitch around over the last two years. White - is it the new silver? We have all been aware for quite some time now that white cars have been making a real comeback as I am sure you have too. The questions for a long time have been ' is it a flash in the pan?' and ' how long do you think it will last?' At first, it was probably best not to have an opinion but to watch the market. As some contract hire companies are now asked daily if they can supply a white vehicle and the answer can sometimes be no, we thought that might be costing them busi­ness. Contract hire companies have obviously got a clear focus on a car's three- year value and quite rightly think that too many white cars in the market will lower values. With that in mind we have captured data relating to sold vehicles, then from that we have checked the recorded colours and how they have performed to CAP Clean over several year plates. As you can see above, white has held up quite well and, on the face of it, you would think that if you let white in as a colour choice values should be fine. On further examination we then looked at models and colours together and this changed things considerably. These findings showed that, in white, high- spec sport models performed far better than a standard vehicle. Contract hire companies should continue to choose carefully which models they will allow in white and also the numbers involved. Meanwhile, silver could really start to suffer as more Government agencies choose silver when they used to choose white. 10210110099989796959493929190% CAPBlackBlueGreyRedSilverWhite Feb2010 disposals - AVE % CAP acheived on 3yr plate ( 07 56) by colour

By Trevor Gelken Can a battle for sales ever have been so bitter as the one being fought prior to the launch of the new Renault Master and Vauxhall Movano? The vans, essentially the same vehicle with different badges, go on sale in May but already both manufacturers have revealed a host of special models and free specification. First Renault announced that its range would cost from £ 20,795 while Vauxhall's started at £ 21,660 ( all prices ex- VAT). Then Vauxhall revealed a base Expression model at £ 20,250, and added £ 1,400 of free extras on all models bought until the end of July ( except the Expression). Renault hit back by adding a sophisticated colour TomTom sat- nav unit on all Masters except the entry- level Freeway. Both vans will be offered in the usual array of formats, Renault and Vauxhall fight it out in the battle of the heavy vans Specification Price £ 20,250-£ 29,925 Engines 2.3- litre turbodiesel Load 8- 17cu m volume; 994- 2,254kg payload Transmission 6- sp man, auto Efficiency TBA Rivals VW Crafter, Ford Transit First Drive: Renault Master/ Vauxhall Movano - on sale May Showroom For daily automotive news visit www. am- online. com/ news Renault Master starts from £ 20,795 including three wheelbases, four load lengths and three roof heights, chassis- cabs and other conversions, but new is the option of either front or rear wheel drive, in gross vehicle weights that now go from 2.8 to 4.5 tonnes. A single 2.3- litre engine, specific for commer­cial vehicles, provides power choices of 100bhp, 125bhp and 150bhp, with torque of 210lb- ft, 228lb- ft and 258lb- ft. It improves fuel economy by around 4.1mpg over the outgoing 2.5- litre unit, while servicing costs have dropped by 28%. All vans have a six- speed gearbox and the 125bhp and 150bhp versions can be ordered with a robotised gearshift. ABS is standard, while ESP is provided on rear wheel drive models. Volumes go from eight cubic metres to 17cu m, while payloads go from 994kg to 2,254kg. Access to the load area has been improved with the rear doors widened by 17cm.